Tennis-court marker



(No Model.)

J. H.BULLARD.

TENNIS COURT MARKER. No. 339,141. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

INVENTOR ML ATTO RN Y Unirrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. BULLARD, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

TENNIS-COURT MARkER.

EFEGIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,141, dated April 6, 1886.

Applicaiion filed Scpicmberfil, 1885. Serial No. 177,619. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J AMES H. BULLARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tennis-Court Markers, of which thcfollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in lawn-tenniscourt markers, the object being to provide a marker for laying out a tenniscourt of improved construction, whereby by rolling the marker on the court-lines the marking material is deposited on the latter, and at the same time the proper length of the lines is measured by the revolutions of the marker.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 11. is a perspective view of alawn-tcnnis-court marker embodying my imnovementsthe upper end of the handle thereof being broken off. Fig. 2 illustrates a modified construction of the marker-cylinder, as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A is the marker wheel or cylinder, consisting of two metallic sides, 0 c,

I of suitable sheet metal, preferably sheet-tin,

the peripheries of which are provided with serrations, as shown in Fig. 1, or made plain, as in Fig. 2, and between said sides is secured the perforated band 0, also of said sheet metal, which constitutes the face of the wheel, said band being set somewhat removed from the peripheries of the sides 0,in order that it may not come in contact with the ground, and thereby have its perforations filled with dirt. A suitable door, I), is provided in one of the sides 0, through which the wheel is supplied with marking materiah-such as plaster-ofparis or other similar suitable white powdered substancc-said door being arranged to slide in the ordinary way for opening and closing. The peripheries of the sides 0 of the wheel are made preferably serrated, in order to cause them to have a more positive engagement with the ground when rolled over the latter,whereby the rotations of the wheel are proportionate to the distance which it is moved for measuring purposes, as hereinafter described; but said peripheries may, if desired, be made plain, as in Fig. 2. The wheel A is made preferably of such diameter that its circumference shall measure a certain number of feetas, for instance, two or three feet, the latter being preferable, owing to the convenience of measuring off, while using the wheel as a marker, the court-lines of seventy-eight, thirty-six, forty-two, and twenty-seven feet-and in order that the operator may easily count the revolutions of the wheel the radial line It is provided on one or both sides thereof. The wheel A is hung to rotate between the arms 0 0 of the forked piece 0, the latter being suitably secured in the handle K. A pivot-bolt, r, passes centrally through wheel A and the heads of said arms 0.

To provide convenient means for pressing the marking material which drops from the wheel against the ground, and thereby guard against its easy displacement, the drag d, of iron or other heavy substance, is provided, to be drawn immediately after the wheel A as the latter rolls along and leaves said materiah Said drag d is hung by a pivot pin, 11, in each end to the arm to, one on each side' of wheel A, said arms being loosely hung on the bolt n, so that nothing shall prevent the drag d from resting with its whole weight on the ground.

To provide means for lifting the said drag off from the ground, if desired, while the wheel A is being operated, and to insure the proper position of the drag under the handle, as shown, the arm as, having the pin ztherein, which engages with the arm 0 of the forkpiece 0, is applied to each of said arms 10 on either side of wheel A.

In View of the foregoing detailed description of the marker, the operation will be easily understood, it being requisite only to supply the hollow wheel A with the aforesaid powdered marking material, roll it on the court lines, meanwhilenoting the revolutions of the wheel,whercby the length of the lines marked is determined.

It is obvious that the marker maybe made, if desired, without the drag d and its supporting-arms.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. A tennis-court marker consisting of a hollow wheel having a perforated face and sides, one of which is provided with a suitable door, substantially as described, whose peripheries extend beyond said perforated face to prevent the contact of the latter with the ground, and a handle having bifurcated arms, between which said wheel is hung to rotate,

forth.

3. A tennis-court marker and nieasurer consisting of a hollow wheel, substantially as described, having a perforated face and a given circumference, and the radial line h thereon, extending between its axis and its periphery, and a handle having bifurcated arms, between which said wheel is hung to rotate, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

4. A tennis-court marker consisting of a hollow wheel, substantially as described, having a perforated face, and a suitable door, through which to supply marking material to the wheel, a handle having the bifurcated arms 0 o, a bolt passing through the ends of 25 the latter and said wheel, on which the latter rotates, an arm, w, having the arm 00 thereon, pivoted on said bolt on each side of the wheel and engaging with said arms 0,and the drag d, pivoted between said arms 20, and adapted to rest on the ground near said wheel, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

JAMES H. BULLARD.

\Vitn esses:

WM. H. CHAPIN, H. A. CHAPIN. 

